Tomorrow Club: Supporting Young Writers Amidst Global Polarization

• PEN International's "Tomorrow Club" serves as a platform to connect young writers, facilitate mentorship, and foster global solidarity.
• The latest initiative focused on Asia, featuring 30 writers under age 35 from 20 countries.
• The project aims to provide human-level perspectives on "distant" issues, countering Western-centric narratives and censorship.

Featured Voices and Issues

• Amanda Socorro Lacaba Echanis: A detained Filipino writer who writes about the intersection of pain and emerging courage.
• Theodore Pham: An activist highlighting the emotional exhaustion and secrecy required to protect civil society space in Vietnam.
• Mayyu Ali: A Rohingya writer describing the uprootedness and loss of tradition for refugees denied status in Myanmar.
• Sai Nyan Linn Sett: A filmmaker narrating the plight of Myanmar youths fleeing to Thailand, where they face exploitation and risk forced recruitment as "cannon fodder" by the military.

Advocacy and Future Goals

• PEN International Board Member Ege Dündar emphasized the need for media and institutions to fund platforms that allow young people to tell their stories across borders.
• Proposed initiatives include:
  • Establishing a formal mentorship scheme.
  • Publishing an anthology of these works.
  • Producing a documentary.
  • Integrating these narratives into school programs to spark cross-cultural curiosity and connection among students.